Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have touched upon the case of Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker convicted of terrorism charges in Russia, during their Friday telephone call, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

"Yes, this issue was touched upon," he said.

The Elysee Palace, in turn, said in a statement following the telephone call that Macron had expressed concern about Sentsov’s deteriorating health condition. According to Macron, "there is a need to find an urgent humanitarian solution to the situation."

The Kremlin press service said earlier that the two presidents had focused on the situation in Syria. "While exchanging views on the current situation in Syria, the two leaders commended the Russian-French operation to deliver and distribute humanitarian aid among the residents of Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, which was carried out in July." Besides, Putin "emphasized the importance of the international community’s continuing assistance in the reconstruction of Syria’s social and economic infrastructure, as well as in the return of Syrian refugees and displaced persons to the places of their permanent residence."

"Some other issues were also discussed," the Kremlin press service added.

According to the Elysee Palace, Macron plans to once again discuss the Syrian situation with Putin in September.

Sentsov case

On August 25, 2015, Russia’s North Caucasus District Military Court sentenced Oleg Sentsov to 20 years in prison on charges of establishing a terrorist group in Crimea. In the spring of 2014, the group’s members carried two terrorist attacks in the Crimean city of Simferopol, setting on fire the offices of Crimea’s Russian Community organization and the United Russia party’s Crimean branch.